The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold a session in New York today (Friday) to deliberate over the prevailing situation in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) days after India scrapped provisions that gave the valley more autonomy.
According to diplomatic sources, the UNSC will discuss the Kashmir dispute under agenda item Pakistan-India question.
The request to convene the meeting on Kashmir was made by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
China also backed Pakistan’s request, asking for the UNSC to meet behind closed doors on Thursday or Friday.
This is a big success for Kashmir and Pakistan as the debate is happening after decades. Last time when Jammu and Kashmir found a reference in UNSC resolutions was in 1998 in resolution 1172 after Pakistan conducted nuclear tests. However, the mention under India-Pakistan question is after decades.
India revoked the special status of IHK on August 5. Several Kashmiri leaders and former chief ministers were also placed under house arrests before the very move.
Political leaders and experts have warned of a severe backlash against the Indian move, with local resentment amplified after authorities imposed severe movement restrictions in the valley and severed all public telecommunications links, including mobile phones and internet.
Pakistan retaliated by suspending bilateral trade and all public transport links with India, as well as expelling New Delhi’s ambassador to Islamabad.
Prime Minister Imran Khan travelled to the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Muzaffarabad, on August 14, marking his first visit to the region since becoming the premier.
In an Independence Day speech, PM Imran warned the army was fully prepared and revealed India was planning to attack AJK to divert the global attention from IHK which remains in lockdown since New Delhi scrapped Article 370 of its constitution.
Qureshi hailed Pakistan’s ‘landmark diplomatic achievement’ of securing a discussion on Kashmir in UNSC after four decades.
In an interview with Pakistan’s state-owned broadcaster, the foreign minister said the UNSC had last discussed Kashmir in 1971, except for a cursory mention in 1998.
He said India opposed any discussion on the matter in the UNSC but its concerns had been dismissed.
“The world needs to realise that this issue is greater than a piece of land between two countries. This is an issue of humanity,” he said.
“India has placed a complete clampdown on the movement of Kashmiris. There are reports of food and medicine shortages but no international observers or media organisations are being allowed to visit IHK.” The FM said New Delhi was bent on carrying out genocide of Muslims to achieve its aim of changing the demographic composition of Kashmir.
He said he had discussed India’s brutal actions in IHK with his counterpart from Poland, which holds the UNSC presidency at present.
